"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:10)

Persecution has always been part of the Christian story—but not everything we call persecution is the same. Jesus promises blessing when opposition comes because of Him, but too often we confuse suffering for Christ with suffering for our own arrogance. The Gospel is offensive enough; we don't need to add to its scandal by being graceless in how we live or speak.

In this inaugural episode of our new series, 'But For the Grace of God,' we reflect on the blessings and burdens of persecution. Together, we wrestle with questions like:

Is the resistance I face truly because of Christ—or because of me?

How do we distinguish the offence of the Gospel from the offensiveness of our posture?

What does it mean to suffer faithfully rather than needlessly?

How do the Beatitudes shape not just what we say, but how we say it?

This conversation sets the stage for the challenging topics ahead. Before we delve into the polarizing issues of our time, we pause to examine our own posture. For the blessing of persecution is not a reward for being insufferable—it is the inheritance of those who dare to look like Jesus.

Get full access to The Faithful Citizen at thefaithfulcitizen.substack.com/subscribe